2009 Annual Report

a good fit ANNUAL REPORT 2008-2009 Mission Statement Didi Hirsch transforms lives by providing quality mental health and substance abuse services in communities where stigma or poverty limit access. There are no extra pieces in the universe. – Deepak Chopra Dear Friends, Puzzles are problems with solutions. What seems di!cult can be done; what were dreams can become reality. Starting as toddlers, we learn so much from puzzles. Not just visual-spatial and motor skills. We learn that every piece counts. That with patience and trial and error, we can make order out of seeming chaos. We also discover that it’s easier when others help. This is the essence of the Didi Hirsch family. We try new things. We persevere. We are inter-connecting; we touch each other’s lives. Every employee, client, volunteer and supporter has a place in the big picture. Although we can’t begin to convey every aspect of the large, three-dimensional world that is Didi Hirsch, we hope this Annual Report gives you a sense of how we all "t together. Last year, we helped more than 57,000 youth, adults and older adults pick up the pieces and put color and order back in their lives. Where many see failure, shame and futility, we look at mental illness and substance abuse and see problems with solutions. You were a part of the solution. Without your support we would have been missing a vital piece. Thank you. Kita S. Curry, Ph.D President/CEO 1 Prevention Specialist Counselor nnie Ortega is going on her sixth school year as a Prevention Counselor with the Substance Abuse Prevention Department. Ask Annie’s fourth graders about her and they might tell you that she loves lemons. AIn her favorite classroom exercise, Annie hands each student a lemon. Yellow, sour, round, all lemons are the same, right? Really look at it, she tells them. Get to know your lemon. Then Annie collects the lemons, mixes them up, and asks each student to "nd their lemon. Sure enough, everyone spots his or her fruit easily. It’s amazing how di#erent each is when the students take the time to get to know them. Beginning with the common lemon, Annie explores stereotype, prejudice, discrimination as part of the Beyond Bias: Think Peace program. “In my e#ort to teach these very adult, very grown-up concepts, like stereotypes and prejudice, I really try to delve into their lives.” 2 Solving Problems Annie is one of several prevention counselors at Didi Hirsch shaping the future of Los Angeles youth. Over the last 14 years, they have trained more than 13,000 students as part of the Substance Abuse Prevention department’s program Beyond Bias: Think Peace. Through classroom exercises, discussions, and projects, Think Peace teaches third, fourth and "fth graders the skills they will need to handle con$ict and peer pressure. These skills include: social competency, critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making and autonomy. Armed with these skills, children are better able to cope and thrive in an environment that may present multiple temptations, including substance abuse. In the last year of elementary school, students are eligible to become Peace Makers, who are taught how to mediate con$ict on their own playgrounds. Each recess, two "fth graders don their Peace Maker shirts and patrol the blacktop helping to settle disputes between their peers. One of the most important components of the program is helping students develop a sense of purpose and future. It’s not uncommon for a second grader to con"de in Ms. Ortega, “My brother was a Peace Maker and I want to be one too.” 3 rica St. Pierre, 23, may seem shy at "rst, but once she begins talking you can’t help but be a#ected by her huge smile. She was 18 when she started Eto hear voices and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Erica spent the next few years in and out of the hospital. It was an isolating time marked by periods of deep depression. One year ago, after another hospitalization, Erica was referred to Didi Hirsch’s Wellness Center in Inglewood. The "rst day she walked into the common room she was nervous. She attended the group meeting and had little to say. Yet Erica returned the next day, and the day after that. Slowly, Erica opened up, and encouraged her peers to do the same. She says group meetings gave her “the encouragement and the feedback of other people who were going through the same thing I was going through.” Through our Employment Services, Erica was hired and trained as a Facilitator for Project Return’s Peer Support Network. Each Tuesday she now leads the group meetings at the Inglewood Wellness Center. 4 Finding a Place to Fit In TRANSITIONAL AGE YOUTH The late teens and early twenties are a trying time for everyone. It is a period of change and growth and confusion as we navigate out of childhood into adulthood. This is also the time when a young person often experiences his or her "rst episode of a mental illness. Our Transitional Age Youth (TAY) program reaches out to 16 to 25 year-olds who may be experiencing the isolation of mental illness. More than 50 attend our Wellness Center in Inglewood. For many, it is one of the few places where they can come and talk about their illness with peers. Known as TAY Day, each Tuesday the Inglewood Wellness Center hums with energy. TAY clients gather for lunch and activities such as art therapy, discussions of current events and outings together. Wellness Center regular Jules Perkins has showcased his musical talents by performing live at the Didi Hirsch Wellness Center Open Mic and Poetry Slam. Didi Hirsch Wellness Centers help TAY clients "nd a way to "t in and grow personally. Lending a Hand VIA AVANTA Healthy living begins with a network of support. At Via Avanta, our residential treatment program for women struggling with substance abuse, residents receive support in all aspects of their life—from parenting classes and childcare assistance to chemical dependency and domestic violence counseling. However, this support goes well beyond lectures and meetings and counseling sessions to practical life lessons. As the women prepare to make their way on their own, they learn to "x furniture, prepare resumes and even join community sports’ leagues. This year they will be planting their "rst organic garden. They will reap the rewards of working together while also learning healthier eating habits. ay Ayala still remembers the "rst time he walked through the front door to Via Avanta over twenty- R"ve years ago. He was an addict. At the time, the residential program was co-ed, and the court had ordered Ray to receive treatment. Ray readily admits that he was scared. He bargained with his wife to take him home, promising that he would never use again. Yet, Ray stayed at Via Avanta for a year. Within that year something clicked. He became sober and realized that he possessed a gift for listening and guiding others. Now a Program Coordinator at Via Avanta, Ray counsels the women and supervises sta#, as he has for 24 years. For many, it is their "rst positive experience with a male. Many also credit him with their recovery. However, in his humble and quiet manner, Ray is quick to brush o# compliments. “Some people have said that I’ve been their mentor but I’m the one that’s learning every day.” 6 Family and Child Making the holidays joyful at Via Avanta has had special meaning for Jennie Wyatt Coste since she began working there 19 years ago. She remembers how much others’ kindness meant to her when she and her daughter spent the holidays there as clients several years before. Today, Jennie is the Child/Parent Care Coordinator at Via Avanta where she helps residents become better parents. Whether reading together or working on a puzzle, learning to enjoy each other’s company is key. During the holidays, which often are di!cult for families in need, Jennie goes all out. This year, Christmas was a "ve-alarm event. There were the usual goodies to eat, and carols to sing, but as an added surprise the "re department visited with their "re engine and invited the children to climb inside. To top o# the day, Santa Claus— played by Jennie’s teenage son—arrived with bags full of presents. There was a gift for everyone. Array of Services Adult Services Crisis Residential Care Jump Street and Excelsior House are crisis The Wellness Centers are self-governed by its residential treatment centers, providing a 28- members, but supported by nursing and mental day program for adults experiencing serious health staff members, who also conduct groups problems due to mental illnesses. Residents may for participants. have been homeless or at risk of homelessness. The program gets them stabilized, provides Outpatient Treatment for Adults treatment for their mental illnesses, finds long- Programs at our headquarters and Inglewood term housing and connects them to on-going Center provide outpatient mental health treatment programs. services to adults with serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and Wellness Centers severe depression. Our trained mental health To make access to care as simple as possible for staff provides individual and group therapy, clients with severe mental illnesses, we offer case management, and psychiatric medication Drop-in Centers at our Culver and Inglewood management. Clients who need intensive sites. At the Drop-in Centers, individuals service receive care at home and in their can receive a mental health assessment, community.

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